Centre Street train platform dedication set for June 12

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
June 7, 2016 5:57 a.m.

Public private partnerships produce pizzazz. The reproduced train platform at the Centre Street Depot is proof of that. Thanks to the Amelia Island Fernandina Restoration Foundation, the Tourist Development Council and the City of Fernandina Beach, the Train Depot campus at the foot of Centre Street has undergone a major facelift since in 2013, starting with the restoration of the depot and the installation of the David Yulee statue, followed by a cleaning of the Duryee Fountain.

The final piece is the newly-constructed replica of the original train platform on the west side of the depot building. The platform will be dedicated to the people who began formal historic preservation efforts in the City of Fernandina Beach in 1972.

The Amelia Island Fernandina Restoration Foundation, the principal financial contributor to this latest structure, spearheaded this project with financial and in-kind support from the Tourist Development Council, whose Visitor Center tenants the depot building, and the City of Fernandina Beach, owner of the entire complex. Without such a partnership, completion of the project to such a level of excellence, would have been doubtful.

The Amelia Island Fernandina Restoration Foundation invites everyone to attend the platform dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 12, 2016, at 2:00 p.m.

For more information on the history and restoration of the Train Depot, restoring the Duryee fountain and constructing the train platform, you may use the search function on the Fernandina Observer home page.

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.